1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf bag designed to be carried by a golfer and which is self-supporting in both an upright, vertical orientation and in an inclined orientation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Golf bags having retractable legs to allow the bag to be supported in an inclined orientation have been available for many years. The purpose of providing a golf bag with retractable supporting legs is to allow the bag to the supported in a stable orientation in which the tubular body of the bag resides at an incline relative to the surface upon which the bag is placed. The deployed legs, together with the tubular body of the bag, provide a very stable, tripod type of support in which the clubs are easily visible to the golfer and in which they can be easily pulled from and returned to the tubular body.
The biggest problem with golf bags having retractable legs is that the operating mechanisms that deploy and retract the legs frequently do not function properly. The golfer is often forced to repeatedly perform the manual actuating manipulation that is necessary to deploy or retract the legs, and to exert considerable force in doing so. This is both frustrating and annoying to the golfer. Moreover, because golfers must devote an inordinate amount of attention to ensuring that the retractable legs of their golf bag are properly deploy and returned, their concentration is impaired and their attention is distracted from performing the proper actions in executing their golf strokes.
One conventional golf bag with retractable supporting legs of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,567. In this device a hinged driving plate is provided at the bottom of the bag and is located entirely beneath the body of the bag. Pressure upon the upper end of the bag above the hinge plate causes the tubular body of the bag to rotate relative to the driving plate, thereby causing the elongated, configured spring to push outwardly upon retractable legs which are hinged at the top of the bag. Thus, as the body of the bag is tilted relative to the driving plate, the retractable legs are pushed out away from the body of the bag to support it in a tripod fashion.
While this system is advantageous in theory, as a practical matter it presents problems. Specifically, a very considerable amount of force is required to actuate the mechanism that pushes the legs out away from the bag due to the poor leverage that exists in the actuating mechanism. Also, frequently the driving plate does not rotate freely relative to the base at the bottom of the body of the bag, thereby resulting in binding of the hinge mechanism. A further disadvantage of the system disclosed in this patent is that the bag is not stable when positioned in a vertically upright orientation. To the contrary, it easily tips over when in this position.
The present invention provides a uniquely configured operating mechanism that reliably deploys and retracts the retractable legs of a golf bag with a minimum of effort on the part of the golfer. Furthermore, the operating mechanism of the present invention is designed to avoid the problems of binding and malfunctioning that plague conventional deployment mechanisms. In addition, the golf bag of the present invention has far greater stability when positioned upright and on end in a vertical orientation as contrasted with conventional golf bags having retractable legs.
In one broad aspect the present invention may be defined as a golf bag comprising an elongated tubular body for storage of golf equipment, a stiff base member, an actuation plate hinged to the base member, a wire spring spreader rod, and a pair of elongated retractable legs. The tubular body has a longitudinal alignment, an open upper end, and a closed lower end. The stiff base member is located at the closed end of the body and defines a sole perpendicular to the longitudinal alignment of the tubular body for supporting the body in an upright orientation. The base member also defines a heel sloping upwardly and outwardly from the sole for supporting the body in an inclined orientation. The base member includes a transverse, linear hinge interface terminating in knuckle joints at its opposing ends. The hinge interface delineates the sole and heel from each other.
The actuation plate has knuckle joints that fit in between the knuckle joints of the base member. The actuation plate is joined to the base member at the linear hinge interface and extends laterally outwardly away from the linear hinge interface and protrudes beyond the tubular body a distance of at least one inch.
The actuation plate is equipped with a leg spreader hinge bracket located outboard from the body and defining a spreader axis of rotation parallel to the linear hinge interface. The hinged ends of the legs are joined to the body at the upper end thereof and at locations directly above the protruding portion of the actuation plate. The legs have free ends that are rotatable to reside alongside the body and alternatively to project outwardly and downwardly therefrom.
The spring wire spreader rod includes a linear, central bight captured by the spreader hinge bracket and parallel to the linear hinge interface. The spreader rod also includes a pair of spreader arms extending upwardly from opposite ends of the bight. The spreader arms have lower portions that are angled upwardly and inwardly from the body and upper portions that are angled upwardly and outwardly away from the body. The spring wire spreader rod also includes transversely directed tips engaged with the legs at connections below the upper end of the body.
The invention may also be described as a golf bag comprising: a longitudinally oriented tubular body, a rigid base at the lower extremity of the tubular body, a flat stand deployment plate, a stand formed by a pair of elongated legs rotatably secured to the tubular body, a leg spreader, and an adjustable sleeve positioned at a selected location on each of the legs.
The rigid base defines a pair of downwardly disposed, flat support surfaces meeting at a transverse demarcation. A first one of the downwardly disposed flat surfaces is perpendicular to the longitudinally oriented tubular body. The other, second one of the downwardly disposed flat surfaces is inclined relative to the longitudinally oriented tubular body. This second surface is inclined upwardly and outwardly from the first one of the flat surfaces. The flat surfaces meet at a linear, transverse demarcation. A plurality of knuckle joints are formed on the base at opposing ends of the demarcation.
The flat stand deployment plate has a plurality of knuckle joints that are interleaved with the knuckle joints of the base to form a leaf hinge connection. The stand deployment plate projects outwardly beyond the second, inclined surface of the base at distance of at least one inch and has a spreader hinge coupling oriented parallel to the demarcation at its extremity remote from the demarcation.
The legs of the stand are rotatably secured to the tubular body at the upper extremity thereof, remote from the base for rotation outwardly from the tubular body and in diverging fashion away from each other. The leg spreader is comprised of a central bight captured by and rotatable relative to the spreader hinge coupling, and a pair of elongated arms extending from the bight. Each arm has a first upwardly and outwardly extending transition segment, and a second lower segment extending upwardly and inwardly from the first transition segment. The first and second segments form an obtuse angle relative to each other facing the tubular body. A third, elongated upper segment extends upwardly and outwardly from the second segment. The second and third segments of each elongated arm form a reflex angle relative to each other and facing the tubular body. The elongated arms each include a fourth tip segment extending transversely outwardly from the third segments, preferably outboard of the legs.
An adjustable sleeve is positioned at a selected location on each of the legs. Each sleeve has a transverse journal connection thereon. The journal connections receive the fourth segments of the leg spreader arms therewithin. Preferably, each sleeve includes a releaseable clamp for securing the sleeves at selected locations on the legs.
In still another aspect the invention may be considered to be a golf bag comprising: a tubular club storage body having a longitudinal orientation, a rigid base member, a pair of elongated legs, a flat leg deployment plate, a leg spreader member, and an adjustable sleeve located on each of the legs.
The tubular body has an open upper end and the closed lower end. The rigid base member is located at the closed end of the body and has a first lower face portion that is aligned perpendicular to the longitudinal orientation of the body, and a second lower face portion that is inclined upwardly and outwardly from the first lower face portion. A plurality of mutually aligned knuckles are located at the demarcation between the first and second lower face portions.
The pair of legs are hinged to the upper, open end of the body above the second, lower face portion of the base. The legs also have lower ends that are rotatable outwardly from the body in spaced separation from each other.
The flat leg deployment plate has a plurality of knuckles that fit in interleaved fashion with knuckles of the base member. The knuckles of the leg deployment plate are joined to the knuckles of the rigid base member by a knuckle hinge pin. The flat, leg deployment plate projects outwardly beyond the base a distance of at least one inch and forms a spreader hinge coupling at its extremity remote from the knuckles.
The leg spreader member has a transverse bight at its center that is captured by the spreader hinge coupling of the leg deployment plate. The spreader member also has a pair of arms projecting upwardly from the bight. Each of the arms defines a transition segment extending upwardly and outwardly from the bight, a lower segment extending upwardly and inwardly from the transmission segment at an angle thereto that is obtuse relative to the body, and a third elongated segment extending upwardly and outwardly at a reflex angle relative to the body area. The third, elongated segments of the spreader member arms extend toward the upper ends of the legs. Each arm also has a fourth, transversely directed segment at the upper end of its third segment. The fourth segments are directed in opposing transverse directions from each other.
An adjustable sleeve is located on each of the legs. Each sleeve has a transverse journal opening therethrough. The fourth segments of the spreader members are engaged in the journal openings for rotation relative to the sleeves. Preferably, releaseable clamps are provided for each of the sleeves for holding them at selected positions on the legs.
The invention may be described with greater clarity and particularity by reference to the accompanying drawings.